2nd round of Foster Care Bags of Hope delivered

Lancaster – How often have you heard someone say my whole life is in my purse or now in my cell phone? Imagine if you were a child being separated from your parent or parents and family and your whole life is packed into a garbage bag for you to take to your foster home. That’s a reality. Children don’t have matching luggage sets.

Children who have been through the foster care system have said of their entry into the system as feeling negative, angry, scared, not valued and not worthwhile. Carrying personal belongings in a trash bag compounds that hopelessness. To help ward off as much of these damaging hurtful feelings as possible are The Foster Care Bags of Hope. The message is on the bag: You are loved.

In another report from September 15, the discussion was around the year 2020 when Strength Based Community Change (SBCC) and Best Start Lancaster led the charge in support of AB31, aka Gabriel’s Law, which would have provided for the creation of the Child Protection Ombudspersons office which failed in committee in Sacramento, much to the disappointment of hundreds of supporters. That failure spawned a measure of mental muscle within the Best Start community. It caused a drive to change the way of assessment and to not accept the legislators’ failure as the last word. As a way for the Best Start Policy and Advocacy Committee to pivot from the AB31 advocacy work to what to do in its stead to provide for Antelope Valley’s foster children positively and effectively, Foster Care Bags of Hope was conceived.

That same mental muscle is alive and well today.

Fast forward to Wednesday October 27, 2021. Another large group of Blue Bags was delivered to the Lancaster offices of Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS). Joining the group in support was Chuck Bostwick, Assistant Field Deputy to Supervisor Barger in the Antelope Valley Office.

Erika Schwerdt, Community Organizer SPA1 Antelope Valley Best Start Region 5 Local Network Contractor Organizer with Strength Based Community Change (SBCC) presented to the group saying, “The Foster Care Bags of Hope is a direct action that supports child abuse prevention. We believe in projects, strategies and activities that always have prevention in mind.

“The hope is to reduce the trash bag stigma that entering foster care has. We hope to reduce trauma. We also hope to build a relationship with Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) as community partners, and by doing so, working together to make sure our children in the Antelope Valley are taken care of with dignity and compassion.”

The group listened to Wendy’s story where she lost her children and was angry with the whole system. Maturing and working toward her own self-improvement, she regained custody of her children. She suffered another tragedy when one of her children passed away. Another testimony was presented by an adult who had gone through the foster care system. Both are passionate about contributing to the improvement of the foster system.

Each large duffle bag, very carefully and thoughtfully packaged, contains a full size bath towel, a sensory toy, a writing journal, color pencils, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrush, drawstring backpack, blanket, hand sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizers, cloth face masks, socks and a comforting, consoling stuffed animal for the child.

Schwerdt added, “We are thankful to have the support of Supervisor Barger’s office and both DCFS regional administrators in the Antelope Valley DCFS offices.

“We hope to gather testimonies and feedback from this process and continue to advocate for this initiative. SBCC is very proud of the work the residents have done with Best Start and look forward to working side by side to ignite a spark and start movements together. Currently our Neighborhood Action Councils (NAC) in other parts of the County are exploring the ways they can support their local DCFS offices and build bridges to better help children in the system.”

The first bags were geared for children ages 0 to 5 in emergency foster care. Schwerdt said, “Our stipulations for emergencies has broadened to include all situations where a child would enter into foster care. We can all work together to smooth things out for these children. How can we do anything if we don’t all work together?”

The conversations will go on. Documentation of these conversations will help build solutions. The time is here to translate conversations into positive resolutions and results.

By Shirley Harriman